According to reports, a nationwide 10pm curfew “could be introduced across Britain,” after Belgium had success with the measure.
A senior government source told The Daily Telegraph that Ministers have discussed the possibility of extending the 10pm to 5am Bolton curfew across the country.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Bolton had 120 cases per 100,000 population. This has been blamed on people in their 20s and 30s spending time in pubs, contact tracing has revealed.
Jeremy Hunt, Tory chairman of the Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee, asked Hancock if the government will look at other countries of their examples of good practice in reducing the virus to prevent a second nationwide lockdown.
Hancock said, “In some countries, not only in the Far East but also closer to home, they have seen a rise in cases especially among younger people, taken action and that has turned the curve.
“That’s particularly true, for instance, in Belgium which we were very worried about a month ago, but the case rate has come right down when they put a curfew in place.”
The Health Secretary added, “We’ll be stepping up the communications, making sure that people are reminded very clearly with clarity of the rules.
“We’ll be taking action to step up enforcement too to make sure that we can keep this virus under control until we can build up both the mass testing capacity and, as I mentioned in my statement, ultimately the vaccine on which the scientists are doing great work, but all vaccine work is uncertain until we get clarity from the regulators that it’s safe and effective to use.”
On Monday Hancock spoke of his fears that England will see a second wave.
He told LBC, “The rise in the number of cases we have seen in the last few days is concerning.
“It is concerning because we have seen a rise in cases in France, in Spain, in some other countries across Europe – nobody wants to see a second wave here.
“It just reinforces the point that people must follow the social distancing rules, they are so important.”
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